- Health Care System of America and China
- Introduction
- The development of health sector in both America and China is far behind the economic growth of the two countries. Although statistics show that China indicated slight improvements in the health sector for the last ten years, there is a need to raise the standards of health operations. According the ministry of health in China, there is a large gap of providing health services to the people and the capabilities of the Government to deliver the services. In America, the country is among those that spend a lot of money in health care department in the whole world. According to many academics associated with the health care matters, various strategies ought to take place in order to improve the standards of health in both of these two countries.
- Descriptive Statistics of Country
- Population
- The country of China covers a surface area of about 9.6 million square kilometers. The country covers an arable land of 0.1 hectares per person and this contribute to a high congestion rate in the country especially on the urban areas. In China, about 60,000 km railway lines surround the whole country. The newly released reports about the coverage of China’s health care services are that the country covers for about 1.13 billion people annually. The figure is equivalent to about 85% of the population of the whole country. This is a huge improvement in the mortality ratio considering that the country was covering for about 190 million people by the year 2003. This figure is equivalent to about 15% of the whole country. This shows that there is an indication of a rise in 60% in improvements of health care services in China. However, the ministry of health in the country argues that there is a need to improve more in offering better services to the public on order to attain the set goals. According to the minister, the set goals in the health sector in China are to provide better services to every citizen with the minimal cost ever.
- The America country covers for about 9.63 million square kilometers and this means that the country is large in surface area compared to china. The arable land in America measured hectares per person accounts to a rate of 0.6. This is an indication that there is a huge difference in terms of congestion compared to China. In America, there is about a total of 23,000 square kilometers of railway line coverage in the whole country. This shows that in terms of infrastructure, there is more advancement in America compared to China. In America, the health sector is playing a significant role in the provision of health care services to all the citizens but with minimal percentage of improvements. According to the government, it is trying all that it can in order to offer various services that include provision of insurance reforms with lower costs to the citizens. The government is trying to offer better health service to about 300 million people of the population in America. However, it has managed to offer only 65% of the population. The government is trying all the possible ways to offer quality health to over 32 million residences who fail to receive it until to date.
- Age Distribution
- According to the Government statistics, the youth holds the highest population that seeks medical attention in China. The youth hold about 65% of the pollution that usually visits the hospitals in China. The other population that includes children and the old people accounts to a percentage of 35%. The young people, accounts to a higher percentage of those who visit hospitals in China because they engage in unhealthy behaviors. According to the ministry of health statistics, the life expectancy rate stands at about 73%.
- In America, the age distribution for the young people accounts who visits the hospitals accounts to about 55%. There is a division in the percentage because of living condition of various families in America. Those children young people who come from poor families contribute to the lower percentage of those who visit the medical centers most of the time. The reason for this percentage being that those children who come from the wealthy families has a high probability of accessing materials that would least to poor health. In America, there is an increase in the number of persons over the age of 65 years. The number of increase in the age is associated with the prevalence of various chronic conditions associated with the old generation.
- Income levels per capita GPD
- GPD refers to the value calculated from the total amount of the final products sold within the current year. According to the country of China, the GPD relating to healthy matters was 4.3% by the end of year 2007. The GPD had an increase of 2% by the end of last year. The Health Expenditure per capita with the measure of USD was at 108 on year 2007 and had an increase in 110 by the end of year 2010 according to the health statistics.
- The GPD of health related services of America was at 15.7% by the end of year 2007. However, the GPD has increased to a rate of 17.2% by the end year 2010. America holds the highest figure in the countries that spend much in medical care. The finance department approximates that the country spends about 12.5 trillion dollars while holding an average of 17% GPD. America makes a large income per capita GPD mostly from the medical research that it invests most. Another factor that contributes to the America high income in health services is the structure of the healthy system from the national level to the lower local level. The increase in the percentage in GPD shows that there is an increase in the health service achievements in China. The same case applies to the government of America that indicates an improvement in various health reforms.
- Ethnicities
- According to the statistics in the health service from China, the issue ethnicity raises a lot of concern in the health service sector. Cultural beliefs play a significant role in forming the required improvements of health standards in China. The Chinese culture uses the role of Confucianism in order to achieve harmony with the society in matters that concern health services. The Chinese health department promotes the engagement of the society in providing a culture of positive healthy living in order to decrease the cost of treating avoidable medical complications.
- The most active body on matters that relate to ethnic issues in China is the body that deals with mental health. The Chinese government introduced the center for ethnicity in that promotes the community to engage in healthy matters. The American healthy department has also put the issue of ethnicity as one of the important priorities that the government out to consider. All health services in America embrace the culture of offering health services to all citizens despite the ethnic group where a patient comes from.
- Characterization of Health System and Comparison with Us
- Coverage
- The Chinese government has an obligation to undertake in order to offer a universal coverage of health services to all its citizens. In order to accomplish the necessary requirements of providing a better coverage system, the government of China developed a mechanism of providing an insurance cover that would protect the healthy needs of all the citizens.
- With comparison to the health coverage in America, the Chinese government is a step a head. America is the only country that lacks proper implementation of democracy in healthy implementation coverage. America country amounts to 51 million people who fail to undertake the insurance covers. This percentage accounts to about 17 percent of the whole population. The Age that accounts to the highest number of those who does not have the insurance cover is the adult.
- Quality
- Comparing with the American, the quality of Chinese health services is somehow behind. The healthy standards of America indicate to be among the best in the whole world. Despite the issue of coverage in the America, the citizens of this country receive one the best medical service. The quality of health services is due to the advancement of technology in the America. Many of the remote areas in China fail to have the accessibility of fast and efficient services as recommended.
- Health statistics
- Life expectancy
- The life expectancy in China holds a total range of 73 years. In America, life expectancy holds a total of 78 years. Comparing life expectancy in China and the one in America, it shows that there is a huge difference in health standards. In China, there is a need to improve in health standards in order raise the rate of life expectancy to the level of America.
- Infant mortality
- The mortality under the age of five years is about 19% of the population. The maternal mortality ratio of the whole population in China accounts to a percentage of 38%. The infant mortality rate in China decreases at the rate of 33 per 1000. The government uses the statistics of infant mortality, which describes the number of babies who die without reaching the age of one year, to measure the high level of the country.
- The rate of infant mortality in America is overwhelming. An estimated death of six children in America dies daily. Comparing the infant mortality of the two countries, there is a high number of deaths in America.
- Rates of chronic diseases
- The rate of chronic diseases in China is high, compared to that of America, most of the chronic disease that affect citizens in China is TB. This disease contributes to about 4.5 million patients. This makes China to be the second country in the world to hold many TB patients. Other chronic diseases in China include the Hepatitis B+ that accounts to about 93million patients. HIV/AIDs account to about 0.65 million people in the whole country.
- Cost
- Per capita expense on health
- The total health expenditure per capita amounts to 190 USD in china. The statistics in China’s health department shows that the cost of maintain health per person amounts to seven dollars. The cost of health per person in America depends on various factors that include the age of a person and the insurance cover undertaken. Comparing the cost in both countries, America holds the highest amount of cost than China.
- . % of GDP spent on health
- According to health statistics in China, the total health expenditure is 5.13%. In America, the rate is about 6.2%.
- Consumer choice
- In China a high number of patients prefer to take traditional medication to the hospital based one. However, this rate is decreasing in the recent years. In America, a high number of patients prefer to take medication from the hospitals. Comparing both countries in the rate of consumer’s choice, America seems to be more civilized than China. This is the reason why most patients opt for hospitalized medical services.
- Conclusion
- The strengths and challenges faced by health system in China include the fragmentation of medical operating costs. The balance between the government role ands the health service marketing ought to have more strength. The health system ought to have a more comprehensive reform because it fails to satisfy the need of most patients. According to the information about health system in China, the government has a significant role to play in order to satisfy the needs of all citizens.
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